Textual Criticism in the Reformation

Article:Textual Criticism in the Reformation by Peter GurryThis text explores how Protestant Reformers approached the study of biblical manuscripts to establish an authoritative scripture. During this era, a significant conflict emerged between Catholic scholars, who championed the Latin Vulgate, and Protestants, who insisted on returning to the original Greek and Hebrew sources. The author explains that early Protestants prioritized these original languages as the ultimate standard for faith, even while working with a limited number of manuscripts. Unlike modern critics who focus on finding the very first hand-written documents, these thinkers believed God’s providence kept the essential meaning of the Bible pure through every age. Ultimately, Gurry highlights that while the Reformers’ methods were early and sometimes constrained by theological debates, they established the foundational legacy of biblical scholarship used today.